Kombucha, a fermented tea beverage, has grown in popularity for its refreshing flavor and potential health benefits. Rich in vitamin B, organic acids and antioxidants, kombucha is made by adding a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast — known as SCOBY — to tea and sugar. During fermentation, the mixture becomes a naturally carbonated drink with a sweet-tart taste.
Although kombucha has been brewed for more than 2,000 years, little was known about the biological makeup of SCOBY until recently.
Researchers in Oregon State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences used DNA sequencing to study the microbial composition of SCOBY. Their findings revealed that SCOBY typically falls into four distinct types, each with its own combination of bacteria and yeast. This is in contrast to beer and wine fermentation, which are usually dominated by a single microorganism.
“Without having a baseline of which organisms are commonly most important, there are too many variables to try and think about when producing kombucha,” said Chris Curtin, associate professor of fermentation microbiology at Oregon State. “With this research we can say there are four main types of SCOBY. If we want to understand what contributes to differences in kombucha flavors we can narrow that variable to four types as opposed to, say, hundreds of types.”
These findings, published in the scientific journal Microorganisms, offer kombucha brewers a valuable tool for improving quality and flavor consistency. Curtin also presented the results at KombuchaKon, a major industry event for commercial brewers.
The research has already supported product innovation. A kombucha company partnered with Oregon State to develop a customized SCOBY culture and launched three new product flavors based on that work. This collaboration shows how applied research at Oregon State supports innovation across the beverage industry.
By uncovering the microbial diversity within SCOBY, OSU researchers are helping kombucha producers better understand their fermentation processes, improve product consistency and create new flavors — all while supporting the growth of this rapidly expanding market.